Tommy Townsend

Thomas Townsend (born November 12, 1996) is an American football punter for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee and Florida, and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

2020 season
Townsend signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2020. In the fourth game of his rookie season, he had two punts that went 65 yards against the New England Patriots. He finished the game with an average of 60.8 yards, a Chiefs franchise record for punt average in a game (minimum 4 attempts), 47.8 yard net average. On November 1, he completed his first career pass on a fake punt against the New York Jets. The completion went for 13 yards, which resulted in a first down. In Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, Townsend punted six times, landing three inside the 20-yard-line with a long of 61 yards, earning the American Football Conference (AFC) Special Teams Player of the Week. Overall, Townsend finished the 2020 season with 52 punts for 2,339 net yards for a 44.98 average. For his rookie season, he was named to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie team.

In the Chiefs' playoff game against the Cleveland Browns, he did not punt a single time for the first time in his career. It was the second time in franchise history a Chiefs punter did not punt a single time in a playoff game. The other was Jason Baker in 2003. The Chiefs reached Super Bowl LV but lost 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Townsend punted three times for 107 yards in the loss.

2021 season
In the Chiefs' Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers, Townsend punted six times with an average of punt of 56.8 yards with five being downed inside the 20 yard line. For his performance, he was named AFC Special Teams player of the week. The following week, he completed his second career pass on a fake punt for 16 yards. After kicking six punts inside the 20-yard line, as well as completing a pass on a fake punt, Townsend was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November. He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 24, 2021. On December 26, his brother Johnny started in replacement of him. He was activated on December 29. Overall, Townsend finished the season with 37 punts for 1,746 net yards for a 47.19 average.

2022 season
Townsend earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his Week 15 game against the Houston Texans. He finished the 2022 season with 53 punts for 2,672 net yards for a 50.42 average. For his efforts, he earned Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro honors. In Super Bowl LVII, Townsend punted twice for 98 yards in the Chiefs 38–35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

2023 season
Townsend finished the 2023 season with 59 punts for 2,776 net yards for a 47.05 average. In Super Bowl LVIII, Townsend punted five times for 254 yards in the Chiefs' 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, giving Townsend his second straight championship.

Houston Texans
On March 15, 2024, Townsend signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans.

Personal life
Townsend is an Eagle Scout. His older brother, Johnny, is also a professional punter who played at the University of Florida.